US Military Tailors Mission Names To Target Audience

Christian Davenport
Washington Post

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In the hypercharged rush of combat, the adrenaline flows and the rhetoric soars. After the "shock and awe" invasion of Iraq, many of the names the military gave early battles were pugnacious: Operation Scorpion Sting, Operation Iron Hammer, Operation Ivy Serpent.

But as the military changed tactics, trying to win over the local population with on-the-ground diplomacy, some nicknames started to soften. Hence Operation Glad Tidings of Benevolence and Operation Together Forward.